Flávio Bolsonaro Arrives in US After Brazil Cancels His Passports

Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in the United States after Brazilian authorities cancelled his passports for failing to comply with a Supreme Court order requiring him to surrender the travel documents, according to media reports.

The 45-year-old senator reportedly travelled to the US on Tuesday, October 27, two days after losing the presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Reports by the BBC, Reuters, AFP and other international media said Bolsonaro had left Brazil despite the court’s order, which was issued amid an investigation into alleged money laundering.

The Brazilian Supreme Court had given Bolsonaro 24 hours to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports. After he missed the deadline, the documents were reportedly cancelled by the Federal Police.

However, the circumstances surrounding his departure remain unclear. A senior Brazilian Federal Police official told Reuters that there was no record of Bolsonaro leaving the country through a regular immigration checkpoint. Authorities were reportedly examining information about his movements as speculation grew over the route he may have taken.

Sources cited by the BBC said Bolsonaro met his younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, in Florida after arriving in the United States. The exact travel route and the details of his arrival were not immediately established publicly.

The US State Department confirmed that it would issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and members of his family, allowing them to enter the country. The announcement came amid growing political tensions between Washington and Brasília over the Bolsonaro family and its relationship with US President Donald Trump.

Brazilian President Lula criticised his defeated opponent’s reported departure, describing it as shameful and arguing that Bolsonaro should have remained in Brazil to address the allegations against him. Bolsonaro’s campaign coordinator, Senator Rogério Marinho, said he was surprised by reports of the departure, adding that he had expected Bolsonaro to lead the opposition after the election.

Before the reports of his departure emerged, Bolsonaro had said he had no intention of leaving Brazil and would surrender his passports. He described the court’s action as an attempt to intimidate him and maintained that he would defend himself against the allegations.

The investigation involving Bolsonaro includes suspected money laundering and alleged financial irregularities. He has denied wrongdoing and has not been convicted of the offences under investigation. The passport order followed concerns expressed by the court about the possibility that he could leave Brazil.

Bolsonaro has also refused to concede defeat in the presidential election, calling for the result to be challenged over alleged irregularities. His Liberal Party, however, has acknowledged Lula’s victory.

His reported move to the United States has drawn comparisons with his father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who travelled to Florida after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro later returned to Brazil and was convicted in a separate case involving a plot to overturn the election result.

Brazilian authorities are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure, while the political and legal implications of his move to the United States remain uncertain.